Now a year later, Ken is back. This time, Osaka-based figure maker Kaiyodo has redone the Ken statue and covered it in roughly 500,000 Swarovski crystals, apparently worth ¥10,000,000 or $127,000. The figure cuts a striking figure. It also sports a glitter crotch.

This week, the figure is getting its unveiling in Tokyo's ritzy Ginza, where on October 29, it will be possible to have your photo taken with it. Starting November 1, the figure will go on display at Tokyo Narita Airport.

The sparkly Ken figure is excessive, sure, and feels somewhat out of step with the crappy global economy. But this isn't mere figure hedonism (hello glitter crotch!), this is for a good cause.

Between December 11 and December 17, the figure will go up for bidding on Japan's Yahoo! Auction site, with a portion going to victims of the March 11 earthquake.

This past spring, any images of urban decay in new games led to delays and even cancellations. Fist of the North Star is ripe with such imagery, and even the iconic line "You're already dead" could be misconstrued as poor taste. Time has passed though. The country is rebuilding, and people are getting on with their lives. It's about time something like Ken, glitter crotch and all, did his part to help those who need it most.

If any one thing about The Last Jedi has been contentious -- actually, no, strike that, everything about The Last Jedi has been contentious, including its approach to space combat (the Holdo Manoeuvre, anyone?). But according to one fan and critic, Rian Johnson's epic actually makes space combat in the Star Wars universe more explicable, not less.